Bring Hemp University To You!

If you think your community could benefit from our Hemp University educational event, contact us and we will travel to help bring hemp education and awareness to your neck of the woods. We will travel to universities, festivals, events,

The Endocannabinoid System

Discovered in Israel in the 1990’s by Rafael Mechoulam, the endocannabinoid system is a system within our bodies “endo”, just like our nervous system, our immune system, and so forth, that uniquely communicates with other parts of the body via cannabinoid receptors that control how humans feel, move and react.

What is Cannabidiol (CBD)?

CBD is the second most prominent cannabinoid found in cannabis behind THC (found in marijuana). CBD is found more predominantly in hemp in the stalk, in the seeds, and in the flower. CBD has been around for a while and is now becoming a subject to talk about around the dinner table. CBD is non-psychoactive due to its lack of attraction to CB1 receptors.

Hemp By-products

Did you know that hemp can be used to make over 25,000 by-products? Below you can see through infographics that hemp is multi-faceted. Hemp has three varieties: Fiber, Seed, and Oil.

Hemp VS Marijuana

The most common misconception of the hemp plant is that hemp is the same as marijuana… this could not be further from the truth. Although both hemp and marijuana are both species of the cannabis plant, they are two very different plants. A good analogy to help with this distinction is to compare oranges with lemons. Both come from the citrus plant, however they are two very different fruit.

The main differences for classifying hemp from marijuana is in genetics, growing methods, and THC content. When you look at a hemp plant compared to a marijuana plant, you can clearly see a difference. Hemp is long, tall, and stalky like bamboo. Marijuana is short, bushy, and looks like a shrub. Genetics is also the reason hemp is grown differently than marijuana. Hemp is generally grown outside in a field. The crop is planted densely to fight off any weed pressure. A hemp field looks like a corn field in terms of space between plants. A marijuana plant is grown individually, usually indoors, with a focus on obtaining a high concentration on THC. Which leads to another distinction between the two plants being THC content.

What is Hemp?

Industrial Hemp is a non-psychoactive (less than 1% THC) cannabis plant that can be grown for fiber, seed, and oil.

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HEMP UNIVERSITY

Hemp University is an educational program presented by Johnny Hempseed LLC.

What is Hemp University?

Hemp University is an educational program presented by Johnny Hempseed LLC that travels to events, festivals, and other college campuses to spread awareness and education on a large scale. Hemp University has partnered with Leith BMW (link to leithbmw.com) in the past to showcase the BMW I3 that has hemp fiber woven into the door panels and in the seats. Other partners include Hempleton Investment Group (link to hempleton.com) who has large educational panels which are good visual aids in learning about industrial hemp. Click here to bring Hemp University to your event, festival, or college campus.

Hemp History

Hemp is one of our world’s oldest crops. Many sailboats in the Viking era used hemp for sails and for rope. www.Rediscoverhemp.com has an in depth time tine that dates back to 8,000 B.C. This site give a disclaimer saying all the information cannot be 100% proven, however, many sources are listed at the bottom of the timeline. Here are a few highlights from the timeline and some important dates are added onto the end as well ...

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6,000 BC Cannabis seeds and oil used for food in China.

1000 English word hempe is first listed in the dictionary.

1456 Guttenburg bible printed on hemp paper.

1533 King Henry VIII fines farmers if they do not raise hemp for industrial use.

1616 Jamestown settlers began growing the hemp plant for its unusually strong fiber and used it to make rope, sails, and clothing

1776 Kentucky begins growing hemp.

1776 The Declaration of Independence was drafted on hemp paper.

1840 Abraham Lincoln uses hemp seed oil to fuel his household lamps.

1850-1915 Marijuana was widely used throughout United States as a medicinal drug and could easily be purchased in pharmacies and general stores.

1894 The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission published an unpartisan and objective 3500 page report on the effects of cannabis in on the people on India, in response to a request to do so by William Caine. This still remains the most thorough and official study performed on cannabis to this day. The summary was the cannabis produced virtually no evils, and if the governor wanted to restrict its use, the best way to do so would be by taxation.

1919 The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol and positioned marijuana as an attractive alternative leading to an increase in use of the substance.

1928 Recreational use of Cannabis is banned in Britain.

1937 U.S. Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act which criminalized the drug. In response Dr. William C. Woodward, testifying on behalf of the AMA, told Congress that, “The American Medical Association knows of no evidence that marijuana is a dangerous drug” and warned that a prohibition “loses sight of the fact that future investigation may show that there are substantial medical uses for Cannabis.” His comments were ignored by Congress. A part of the testimony for Congress to pass the 1937 act derived from articles in newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst, who had significant financial interests in the timber industry, which manufactured his newsprint paper.

1941-1942 Henry Ford develops a car that runs on hemp ethanol fuel. Ford also builds an experimental car body made with hemp fiber, which is ten times stronger than steel and four times stronger than metal.

1957 Hemp is banned in the U.S. due to misconceptions around different types of cannabis plants.

1970: controlled substance act recognizes hemp as marijuana.

1986 President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, reinstating mandatory minimums and raising federal penalties for possession and distribution and officially begins the U.S. international “war on drugs.”

1996 California (the first U.S. state to ban marijuana use, see 1915) became the first U.S. State to then re-legalize medical marijuana use for people suffering from AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses. A similar bill was passed in Arizona the same year. This was followed by the passage of similar initiatives in Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

1997-2001 In direct contradiction to the IOM recommendations, President Clinton, continuing the Regan and Bush “war on drugs” era, began a campaign to arrest and prosecute medical cannabis patients and their providers in California and elsewhere.

2001 The United Stated Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) begins a campaign to make sales of all hemp foods illegal in the U.S. Companies that make hemp products along with the Hemp Industries Association (HIA) take legal action against the DEA.

2009 President Obama made steps toward ending the very unsuccessful 20-year “war on drugs” initiated during the Regan administration by stating that individual drug use is really a public health issue, and should be treated as such. Under his guidance, the U.S. Justice Department announced that federal prosecutors will no longer pursue medical marijuana users and distributors who comply with state laws.

2010 Hemp foods are an essential staple in millions of individual’s diets. Tens of thousands of hemp acres are grown in Canada. Over 30 countries produce industrial hemp including Australia, China, Great Britain, France, Russia and Canada.

2011 The U.S. is the only developed country that has not established hemp as an agricultural crop, according to the Congressional Research Service.

2012 Hemp foods gain mainstream acceptance. Hemp food products can be found in mass-market retailers and are frequently featured in the mainstream media.

2014 (February) President Obama legalizes limited hemp farming in the United States. The beginning of the end of Industrial Hemp prohibition in the states.

2015 (October) North Carolina passes H.B 313 allowing for an industrial hemp pilot program to be established once a commission is funded.

2016 (February) Johnny Hempseed LLC is founded.

2016 (May 11th) NC hemp commission is funded.

North Carolina Hemp Status

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Last year on Halloween (October 31,2015), the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Senate Bill 313. This bill allows for a industrial hemp pilot research program to begin in the state. However, until actual progress can be made, an overarching governing body must be created to establish how the pilot program will be managed and operated. A total of $200,000 was needed in order to create this overarching governing body called “The Commission”. The commission will be comprised of five appointed members from the NC Department of Agriculture, the General Assembly, state law enforcement, university professors in Ag, and farmers that have grown in the state for at least 10 years. The bill continues on to talk about the duties of the commission and then what farmers need to do in order to receive a growing permit.

Then on June 14th, 2016, after the $200,000 was funded, an amended industrial hemp bill was passed that made, you guessed it, amendments to Senate Bill 313. This amended bill is the North Carolina House Bill 992.